That's a bit strange question since even according to Western physics, it might well be the case that such a thing as "matter" doesn't actually exist, except in the minds of sentient beings! :D
Over 99 percent of atoms is "made" of Nothing or Emptiness (aakaasha?). The rest, that is (at least?) electrons, gluons and quarks, might well be *one-dimensional* vibrating strings! Go figure. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Share Long <sharelong60@...> wrote: > > Inspired by something Xeno said I ask you Salyavin: does consciousness > emerge from matter or does matter emerge from consciousness? Or is > something else altogether happening? > > > > > ________________________________ > From: salyavin808 <fintlewoodlewix@...> > To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com > Sent: Monday, May 20, 2013 2:32 PM > Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: SELF-HYPNOTIZE: Channel, End Negativity, Feel > Good, Achieve Goals Dr. Shelley S > > > >  > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Share Long <sharelong60@> wrote: > > > > Salyavin wrote:àOnce you have enough brain cells you have > > consciousness.àShare asks:àI've been reading all of today's posts, > > again with mixed success.àAnyway, I'm guessing that I have the same > > amount of brain cells right now that I had during last night when I was > > dreaming and also when I was sleeping without dreams.àI was pretty > > conscious during the dreams.àI feel very conscious at this moment.à> > But I'm pretty sure I was not conscious during the whole night.àSo it > > would seem that even though the number of brain cells remains constant, > > consciousness, as an experience, does not.àààà> > I meant that you need a certain amount to generate consciousness > anyway. They stay amount stays the same overnight. But the fact > that it gets switched off at night is another interesting > evolutionary adaptation. Must take up a lot of energy generating > all that bright inner awareness. The brain needs a bit of down time > to assimilate the days events and reset itself or we go mad. Really. > And then there's keeping us out of trouble in the dark where our > primary sense isn't any use. Amazing thing really. > > I got knocked out and lost my memory once, that was interesting. > I'll do a post about it tomorrow as it had a lot of fascinating > features for a philosophical chap like me. > > > > > PSàI realize I'm taking little baby steps.àIt's the best I can do > > with this topic.àThanks for your patience.àBTW, speaking of the hot > > human brain, scientists have recently theorized that one of the functions > > of yawning is to cool the brain.à> > > ________________________________ > > From: salyavin808 <fintlewoodlewix@> > > To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com > > Sent: Monday, May 20, 2013 1:31 PM > > Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: SELF-HYPNOTIZE: Channel, End Negativity, Feel > > Good, Achieve Goals Dr. Shelley S > > > > > > > > à> > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "PaliGap" <compost1uk@> wrote: > > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "salyavin808" <fintlewoodlewix@> > > > wrote: > > > > > > > > "The condemned man may live for several days or even weeks. > > > > > But, he believes so strongly in the curse that has been > > > > > uttered, that he will surely die. It is said that the ritual > > > > > loading of the kundela creates a "spear of thought" which > > > > > pierces the victim when the bone is pointed at him. It is as > > > > > if an actual spear has been thrust at him and his death is > > > > > certain." > > > > > > > > Anxiety is a powerful thing. > > > > > > So it seems. The "cause" of the anxiety was of course a purely > > > mental thing (or a thing in the realm of "meaning"), and > > > NOT a physical thing. And the anxiety was the effect, not > > > the cause. > > > > When I think "anxiety" I think "adrenalin" which is physical. > > The idea of what is frightening is held as a memory or instinct, > > which is an obvious evolutionary advantage. what to be scared of > > can also be learned, did you know it only takes two events of > > any sort before the brain makes a neural link to alert the rest > > of the system how to behave next time the stimulus is encountered. > > > > For instance, if you get nearly run over once the adrenalin > > dies away and the typical brain will put it down to experience. > > Twice and you will start to get anxious going near a road. > > Simple as that, and the funny thing about adrenalin is that > > when you are pumped up it changes the way you perceive the world, > > it heightens sound and movement, it changes the way blood flows > > in the brain so you can't think logically but can only think > > of running away or fighting. To enable this it drags sugars out > > of the liver and into the blood and draws blood from the stomach > > into the muscles. > > > > Best of all, any experience you have when in an aroused state > > gets tagged by the brain as being threatening and will cause a > > similar reaction if you keep having the same stimulus. This is how neuroses > > develop, like agoraphobia or social shyness. Anxiety > > can and does pollute the whole brain, mind system. Your voodoo > > cult member is primed from childhood to die on command. > > > > The point I'm making is, I don't see it as mind and matter, > > it's all the same thing to me, you can't seperate them, they > > don't work without each other. This is what I'm saying about > > consciousness, it's a function. Once you have enough brain > > cells you have consciousness. Emergent phenomena and it can > > no more be understood in terms of individual brain cells than > > wetness can be understood in terms of individual water molecules. > > > > > > Why do you think this proves > > > > something pertinent to the argument here? It's like you've just > > > > googled odd stuff about the brain and drawn some whoppingly > > > > unnecessary argument out of it. > > > > > > It's about the world of the mental and the world of meaning > > > (the latter I think I'd prefer), and about how those worlds > > > can, sometimes, extinguish the world of the "merely" physical. > > > Because they are equally (or maybe more) real. > > >
